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Hi cooki,

I built my cabinets in my garage, and then stained them. Total cost for the boxes is about $1200 so far. I bought drawers, doors, and drawer fronts from Walzcraft, total cost was right about $2500, all unfinished (I am going to start staining doors and drawer fronts this weekend). The quality of the stuff from Walzcraft is so much better than anything I could have done myself. Simply put, they (and other professional door makers) have the equipment to do it right and in a timely manner. For example, the dovetailed 3/4" maple drawers are beautiful and fit perfectly. I got all my drawers assembled and installed last weekend and they fit perfect.

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theballs,

Did you apply a clearcoat overtop of your stain in your garage? If so, would you mind giving me some details? I'm getting doors made and need to have them clearcoated/finished. Quotes I'm getting are making me lean towards DIY finishing. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Dan

Oh, and for what it is worth, it took me roughly 4-5 weeks to build, stain, lacquer, and install the cabinets (nights and weekends). I got them installed a week and a half before Christmas. It took me two days to assemble and install the drawers. Im guessing it will take me roughly a week or so to stain the doors and drawer fronts. A nice, 70+ deg day to lacquer them, and probably a couple more days to install them all. I saved a lot of money, I spent a LOT of time. If I were to do it over again, I would find a local cabinet guy to build the boxes and deliver them to my garage unfinished, and I would take it from there.

Hi Dan,

I brushed on lacquer in the garage. It was easy, and dried fast. The fumes are terrible, though. I spent the $30 for a charcoal gas mask. It saved me during the process, but the fumes still made their way indoors, which was a bummer for my wife, little boy, and dogs.

For the larger panels and the kick plates, I sprayed the lacquer on them out in the yard on a sunny Saturday, and this was by far a better method..it was much faster, easier, and no fume issues.

As far as quality (which you didnt mention but was something I was concerned about), Im quite sure a pro would notice all my imperfections, but I dont think anybody else will!

My DH build the boxes, and all the internals in the garage. The doors, drawer fronts, rails and stiles were a combination of the original 80 year old gumwood cabinets (we took the old ones apart and repurposed, which required extensive resizing) plus new gumwood for some of the trim and some panels, such as the new dishwasher panel. It has taken many months. The cabinets were all sanded to bare wood, no stain, and sealed with Waterlox. There are many imperfections and things we have to live with. Two of the old doors are warped-- there is no certain way to straighten. The kitchen definitely looks and feels hand made, not machine made. It was a long, long project but we are happy to have been able to conserve the original cabinets.

Thanks balls,

Can you let me know what type of laquer you used? Just one coat? Any sealer?

Thanks again,

Dan

Just for the record, I'm making my cabinets, too.

My claim to talent is the fact that I own the tools. That's it.

I did take two woodworking classes at Woodworker's Club in Rockville, MD, but all it really did was tell me what the tools were, that I already owned.

If I can do it and it looks good, anyone can, IMHO.

It takes time, lots and lots and lots of reading and asking questions, and finally taking a deep breath and just doing it.

I've yet to conquer the routers (I have three), but I'm coming to terms with the table saw. I hate noise, but I hate crap all over worse. Making the cabinets has given me the tentative courage to attempt more.

I have painted mine. STIX primer (as per the paint forum) and CabinetCoat tinted to a color I've loved forever.

Gotta tackle crown molding and toe kicks. My ceiling is so out I have no idea how I'll do this, but one thing at a time. Doors right now.

Cooki1268 - I am like your husband - I do trim, bookcases, framing and floors. While I had originally wanted to build my own cabinets, there are 2 problems: First, I do not have a dedicated woodshop - I have most of the tools (mitre saw, table saw, router etc), but I must take them out of storage and build stuff outside. The other thing is my fear of dado joints, mortise and tenons etc. I really don't want to screw them up!

That being said, I do plan on re-using some of the original cabinets in my new kitchen - old solid wood - solid as a rock! I will definitely be buying new drawers and drawer fronts - totally not worth DIYing. I would never pay the extremes charged for finishing though!

I have a good book on building cabinets - The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker by Robert W. Lang. I have a bunch of Taunton books on furniture and cabinetry and joinery, but the kitchen book is the best.

--

CEFreeman, you owned a table saw and 3 routers and did not know how to use them? I wish I was you! I still have to tackle my router as well - first try was with Azek moulding - it melted and fused the bit inside the chuck and I have yet to retry getting it out. I hate that stuff!

I know that once I buckle down and really try I'll master it, and I did start to get the hang of it after three passes with scrap wood, but then - the Azek!

Theballs,

How did you get your doors and drawers from Walzcraft? They say they only sell to cabinetmakers.

Thanks.

Dan,

I used Deft brand lacquer from Lowe's, in satin. I did not use any sealer. I stained the parts of the cabs that needed staining, let it dry, and then brushed it on, and that was it. For the toekicks and end panels that I sprayed, I used the cheap $40 Husky gun from Home Depot, and I have one of those pot-looking DeWalt air compressors.

Natschultz,

I am fortunate that my uncle has a carpentry business, and already had an account with Walzcraft. I put together my order, and he placed it for me. You might be able to look for a local carpenter or cabinet builder who has an account, and see if they will work with you.

I also ordered some shaker style doors from Barker Door, and this was a very easy option, just type in the dimensions, pay, and they show up a week later. Very nice quality. Really, my only gripe with Barker is that their selection is limited...however, that gripe is exactly what allows them to keep their prices low! So it isnt really a gripe.

Hello!

When Dh and I bought this house, his first comment was he wanted to rebuild the kitchen cabinets. Fast Forward almost 10 years, and I've finally figured out what I want to do that's different.

My dh builds oak furniture for a hobby. I'm sure he can do it all, but here are some things he's doing/or has mentioned.

Drawers are much harder than cabinets. That would be a bigger worry for me.

Dh studies all the books at the library.

He's had to buy tons of tools. Be prepared for this.

We have a small kitchen, and we're trying to do this in as small of increments as possible. A couple reasons for this. One is to hopefully make as little impact on me as possible (yeah, like that's going to happen). But, also because his shop space is only so big (he uses our two car garage) and he can only store so many cabinets out there.

Also, when picking cabinet door styles, listen to him. If he says it's too hard to do, go with something easier.

Our house is mostly furnished with things he's built by now and it's always a topic of conversation. I like having things he's made around.

Have him make one cabinet, with the drawer and door to see how things go. Or, pick another piece of furniture. Dh hadn't made drawers in a while, so he made us some nightstands (quick, easy, needed) to kind of get in the mode.

I just bought all of my base cabinets from The Cabinet Joint, which is a reseller of Conestoga RTA wood cabinets. I went with the all-plywood box upgrade and hard maple doors painted cream, beaded inset frames, and a simple shaker door style. With the upgrade to plywood, paint-grade hard maple (upgrade from soft maple or paint-grade wood blend), two pull-out units, and a fancy routed foot on the sink base, I got five base cabinets including a 36' sink base for under $4000. Conestoga distributors (which include The Cabinet Authority and The Cabinet Joint) also sell doors only. I was very happy with the quality of the paint/finish on the door and the customer service has been great. Of course, we haven't gotten around to assembling them yet (we just got the kitchen re-drywalled last week) but it appears fairly straightforward.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Cabinet Joint